Learning How to Live
by ClubDread16
Summary: Chp. 4 UP NOW! The real action starts in chapter 4. Rating changed to R for violence and language.rnrnThe DotD gang are not the only survivors in Everette, Wi. Taryn Anderson was there too. Here's her story.
1. Prologue

A/N: None of the characters belong to me, they belong to Zack Snyder and James Gunn. Except for Taryn, Libby, and Grandma Anderson, they are mine!

Taryn threw the car into park and let the engine idle as she

climbed out. She rounded her 2000 Saturn and opened the door

for her little sister Libby. Then she pulled Libby's bags out of the

backseat.

"I don't wanna stay with grandma. Why can't I come

with you?" the little girl moaned, her strawberry blonde pigtails

bouncing as they walked to the front door. Taryn smiled.

"I know you wanna stay with me, Lib. But I'm staying at

Sophie's. You know that." The little girl stuck out her lower lip at

this. "Hey. I'll come visit you all the time. If you're good maybe

you can stay at Sophie's a couple nights." Libby smiled.

"Promise?" Taryn ruffled her sister's hair gently.

"Would I lie to you?" Libby's smile grew wider and Taryn

turned to knock on the door. She gasped when she saw her

grandma already standing there. She stared at them, smiled weakly,

then turned and went back into the house. "That's weird." Taryn

muttered. She opened the door to the small ranch house and

entered, Libby right behind her. She found her grandma sitting on

the couch. "Grandma? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, sweetie. Just a little tired."

"Where's grandpa?" Taking Libby's hand, Taryn slowly entered

the room.

"He's down filling out a police report." She wheezed.

"What happened?" Taryn asked, genuine concern in her voice.

Her grandmother didn't know the concern was not for her but for

Taryn and Libby.

"Nothing important dear. I was mugged at the grocery store

yesterday. The man bit me."

"Bit you?" Taryn, for the first time, noticed a light sheen of

sweat coating her grandmother's dull gray cheekbones. "Are you

alright?"

"Of course. I'm fine. Just a little tired." Libby tightened her grip

on Taryn's hands and looked up into her sister's eyes pleadingly.

"Maybe I should take Lib with me. Don't want her getting sick

too." Their grandmother struggled to her feet and slowly

approached Taryn and Libby.

"Nonsense. Now you leave Libby here and run along and have

fun." Taryn desperately didn't want to leave her sister behind.

"Really. It wouldn't be any trouble to take her with."

"She can watch tv while I take a nap" Their grandmother

snapped. Taryn knelt down so she was eye to eye with Libby.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to fight with her. I'll come visit

you tomorrow. Be careful and call me if anything happens." She

leaned forward and kissed her sister on the forehead. "Love you,

Lib." Libby didn't say anything but Taryn could see the tears

shimmering in her eyes. Taryn stood and walked to the door.

"Goodbye." She whispered and walked out into the bright

Wisconsin sunshine.


	2. Peppermint Schnapps and Fried Gold

A/N: Ok. Once again the characters don't belong to me. They belong to Zack Snyder and James Gunn. Also, as you can tell w/ the Shaun of the Dead reference, I'm altering the timeline slightly. Lol. Please don't kill me!

Taryn sat on the floor of her best friend, Sophie's house. Magazines and yearbooks were scattered across the floor. "Oh my God." Came a voice from up on the bed and suddenly Sophie's head appeared over the edge of the bed. "Look at how little we were back then." She tossed the 1998 yearbook onto the floor next to Taryn, opened to the 26th page. Taryn glanced at it, and then continued flipping through the magazine that was in her lap. "Oh come one! Will you relax? Libby's fine!" Finally Taryn closed the magazine and tossed it back on to the pile.

"You don't understand, Soph. Something was wrong. Grandma's always so happy and lively. But she was…gray. She could barely get off the couch she was so weak. It's almost like she was turning into a…"

"What?" Sophie asked, smirking. "A zombie?" Taryn laughed.

"Shut up! I'm not going insane."

"No. You're right." Sophie sat up now. "You gotta watch out for those zombies. They're everywhere these days." Taryn stood up and, grabbing a pillow of the bed, threw it at Sophie.

"I'm thirsty. Can we please go get a drink?" Sophie stood up, stretching her legs as she did so.

"I think mom's got some peppermint schnapps in the cupboard." She said, leading the way downstairs. Taryn pulled her shoulder length auburn hair back into a ponytail as she followed Sophie. It was dark on the first floor of the Leonard house. Sophie waited to turn on a light until they got into the kitchen.

"What's with the cover of darkness act?" Taryn asked playfully.

"mom's been known to pass out on the couch when she goes out. Didn't want to risk waking her up." Sophie responded, searching the cupboards.

"It's only 12:30. Do you really think she's home?"

"You never…here we go." Sophie spun around, holding the clear bottle out triumphantly. To her surprise, though, Taryn wasn't looking at her. She was looking at the white tiles, now decorated with drops of deep red. "What happened?"

"It wasn't me." Taryn answered, her voice quavering slightly. Sophie set the bottle down on the counter and slowly walked out into the living room, followed closely by Taryn. The trail of red continued to the bottom of the couch where it suddenly ended.

"Mom?" Sophie whispered. They heard a rustling on the couch and then a weak voice responded.

"Sophie?" Sophie quickly strode over to the wall and flicked on the light. Tara Leonard sat on the couch. Her skin was pale and the veins were visible through the skin. She blinked rapidly against the harsh light. Taryn noticed she was holding a cloth tightly to her hand. She also noticed the white cloth was slowly being stained red.

"What happened to your hand?" Sophie must have noticed too. Mrs. Leonard glanced at her hand, as though unsure of what her daughter was talking about.

"Oh. Nothing."

"Mom!"

"Well, I met this guy and we went back to his apartment." Sophie sat back, rolling her eyes at her mother's story. "But he fell asleep before anything happened."

"Fell asleep?" Taryn whispered. Not believing what she was hearing.

"I was just about to leave when he work up. And…well, then he bit me." Sophie peeled the cloth from her mom's hand. Slowing when she heard her mother wince. An angry red wound appeared and Taryn gasped.

"Mom, you have to go to the doctor." Sophie slowly got to her feet.

"I'll go tomorrow, dear. Promise. You two should get some sleep." Tara laid back down. "I'm just going to sleep here for tonight." Sophie grabbed a blanked off the rocking chair and laid it out over her mother, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Night." Then she motioned for Taryn to follow her upstairs. Once in the room Sophie flopped down on her bed. "What the hell kind of guy bites a woman to STOP her from leaving?"

"A zombie?" Taryn grinned sheepishly. Sophie laughed and tossed some pillows on the floor for Taryn as she rolled out her sleeping bag.

"Alright, Romero. I'm gonna put in a movie to sleep to." Sophie moved in front of the dvd player, blocking Taryn's view of what she was doing. When she finished she turned off the light and lay down on the bed. "Night, sweetie." Taryn didn't respond, just laughed as the menu screen came up. A dozen or more bloodstained hands were clawing at the door of a bar. Taryn leaned forward and pushed play.

"Funny." She whispered. The she sat back, eyes intent on the screen. There would be no sleep for her tonight. She knew this movie by heart. "How's that for a slice of fried gold?" She laughed, as downstairs, Tara Leonard quietly passed away.


	3. The Sound of Silence

A/N: Ok…because I haven't used any of the DotD characters…yet…I don't really need a disclaimer other than the movie belongs to James Gunn and Zack Snyder…except for the DVD. That's mine. Lol Anyway, Taryn, Sophie, and Tara are my original characters thanks. Also, Feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

Contrary to what she'd thought, Taryn did fall asleep that night. She woke with a start. On the screen the bloddied hands were once again clawing at the door of the Winchester Pub. She stoog up slowly, turning the tv off. She glanced quickly at the clock. 9 am. She turned to the bed but all she could see was a lump underneath the blankets. Taryn grabbed her dark green totebag off the floor and went into Sophie'd bathroom to change.

When she was done she came out and jumped onto the bed, hoping to wake her best friend up. Taryn was surprised to find that her friend was not in the bed. The lump was only some wadded up blankets. Thinking Sophie must have already gone downstairs Taryn crept quietly doen after her. Careful to make as little noise as possible to keep from waking Mrs. Leonard.

It was just as quiet on the first floor as it was on the second floor, but there was something else there too. Taryn checked the kitchen first and when that proved to be empty she walked into the living room. On the first look it appeared to be just as empty as the rest of the house. Taryn started to go to the picture window when she saw what had been hidden by the couch. The house wasn't as empty as she'd though. Sophie ay on the floor by the couch. Her eyes wide in fear, her mouth open in what could only have been the beginning of a scream.

"Oh God." Taryn gasped. She spun around and doubled over on the floor. The bile she'd coughed up stung her throat and mouth, which only made her gag more. The image of the gaping hole in Sophie's neck danced in front of her vision. The blood pooling beneath her head, melding with her soft black hair, creating sickening patterns on the carpet.

Suddenly Taryn became aware of the growling. She got to her feet unsteadily and turned towards the window. She hadn't noticed Mrs. Leonard standing there. She turned slowly and Taryn almost screamed at what she saw. Tara Leonard's skin was a sick greenish color. Deep scratches ran from her temple to her chin and Taryn thought she could faintly see the bone. Taryn turned to run up the stairs. She could hear Tara behind her and it sped her forward. As she got to the landing she felt Mrs. Leonard's hand grabbing at her ankle. Taryn leapt into Sophie's room, slamming the door shut behind her and locking it quickly.

"Holy shit." She gasped breathlessly. She looked for something heavy to put in front of the door, but found nothing that could be moved quick enough. She scooped her totebag up off the floor and slung it onto her back as she ran into Sophie's bathroom.

She knew from past experience that the window in Sophie's bathroom went out onto the roof where you could safely climb down the gutter pipe The window didn't want to open but finally Taryn was able to force it. She could hear the door to the bedroom beginning to splinter and it gave her strength she didn't know she had. She carefully stepped out onto the shingles, being sure to find her footing before putting her full weight down. She grasped the pipe in her hands and slowly climbed down on the ground. She silently thanked God when her feet hit the pavement, but she couldn't waste time.

She quickly dug through her totebag and finally pulled out her keys. Unlocking the door to her purple Saturn she jumped into the driver's seat. Tossing her backpack into the passenger seat. She could faintly see the form of a person in the doorway as she reversed out of the driveway, and her stomach lurched again when she realized it was Sophie.

"Oh fuck." She whispered, unable to take her eyes off the moving corpse of her friend.

The Northwoods suburb was quiet. After all the movies she'd seen she was expecting to see people running from their homes, fiery crashes in the street, people lying dead. But there was nothing. The bright sun shone downon the houses, reflecting off pools in people's yards. And then Taryn noticed the one hint that everything was not as it seemed this day.There were no people. The streets and yards were devoid of life save Taryn herself.

By this time who could know how many people were infected. Many had probably been infected through the night, much like Tara Leonard. Taryn knew she had to get to safety, but she also knew she couldn't leave her sister behind. She got on the highway and turned towards Cherrywood Estates. All the time praying the virus hadn't spread that far.


	4. Imagine There's No Heaven

A/N: I want to thank Doppelganger of Milk, and lostnumb for their reviews. This is the longest chapter I've written for any story and I'm excited because I manage to incorporate one of my favorite songs into it (bonus points if you can name the song and band it's by). I hope you guys enjoy.

Once again, the character's other than Taryn, Libby, and Grandma and Grandpa Anderson, do not belong to me. They belong to James Gunn, Zack Snyder, and whatever company released the movie (too lazy to go look)

Cherry wood Estates was everything Taryn had feared on a day

like this. Bodies littered the streets, fires raged in homes. The

infected chased down what few survivors there were. She let the

car run in front of her grandmother's house. She was pretty sure

zombies."Stop it." She thought. "We're not using the zed

word."…These things didn't know how to drive. The open front

door did not bode well for her fears and her heart pounded in her

chest as she pushed the door open far enough to see.

A scream welled up and died in her throat at the sight that

greeted her. Her grandfather lay on the floor, gasping for breath.

The large cavity in his chest was empty. Taryn's grandmother and

Libby were hunched over his body. Libby looked up at her older

sister. An evil grin revealed red stained teeth over cracked lips.

Blood dripped slowly down her chin. Taryn's eyes welled up with

tears, but she blinked them back rapidly. Libby snarled and leapt

over their grandpa's now still body.

Taryn tried to get out but she tripped over the rug. She fell

backward, hitting her head on the doorframe. Stars exploded in

front of her eyes and the room swam. Libby landed on her with her

full weight and Taryn groaned. There were two large holes in her

cheekbones where her grandfather had tried protecting himself.

With one hand Taryn held her sister back by the neck. While, with

her other hand, grasping for a broken broom handle that had fallen

by her grandpa's side. She took it firmly, wincing as she realized

what she had to do. Libby's mouth was wide in a scream of fury

and Taryn, putting her full weight behind it, shoved the stick

through Libby's mouth up into her brain. The child fell limply on

Taryn. Taking a ragged breath she pulled the stick out and stood

pushing her sister's desiccated corpse off of her.

Her face stung with the tears she wouldn't allow to fall as she

braced herself for her grandma's inevitable attack. When she

realized that her grandmother was dead, truly dead-the other half

of the broom shoved through her eye-she sighed heavily. She was

about to let the stick fall, but thought better of it. She would more

than likely have to defend herself against more of these…

creatures. Taryn could hear the TV in the living room. A man

urged everybody to stay in their homes, lock and barricade all

doors and windows. She turned to the door. "You believe

everything you hear on TV?"

The sun shone in her eyes and she raised up a hand to shield

herself. There were no…creatures blocking her path to the car and

she whispered a word of thanks for that.

The car radio was tuned to 97.5 and a song was playing that

Taryn didn't recognize.

**_Imagine there's no heaven_**

Taryn headed out of Cherry wood estates. She got on the

highway, already having made up her mind. She would go to

Illinois. Hopefully the infection hadn't spread that far yet.

**_ It's easy if you try_**

A beeping sound in the background finally entered Taryn's

consciousness as the car slowed to a stop. "Fuck!" Taryn

screamed, banging her hands on the steering wheel. Out of the

corner of her eye she saw them, a group of about five…monsters

nearing the driver's side door. She crawled into the passenger seat

and out the door, grabbing her backpack as she went.

**_ No hell below us_**

She hopped over the metal guardrail and started to run. She

could hear them getting closer when she hit it. She was flung to

the ground and it took only a moment to find her bearings. The

fence to the Crossroads Mall stood in front of her.

**_ Above us only sky_**

She allowed herself to smile, then stood and began to climb the

fence. The groups of people that had been following her began to

shake the fence. Before Taryn could get a grip, she'd fallen. The

pavement scraped her legs and hands but she wasted no time in

getting up. She walked towards the mall. What if there was

nobody to let her in? She heard footsteps behind her and turned to

look, praying it wasn't who she thought it was. She screamed ad

someone grabbed her.

"Calm down." A voice said. "It's ok." Taryn managed to slow

her breathing, but she could not stop the shaking.

**_ Imagine all the people_**

The man who looked down at her smiled warmly then turned to his friends. "She's ok." He took her arm and turned her so she was

once again facing the mall. "It's safe in there. It has to be." Taryn

let him steer her. She wasn't sure she could have mad it herself.

There were no open doors and as far as Taryn could see, no one

to let them in. "Here man." A tall black man stepped forward;

giving Taryn the same reassuring glances she'd been getting from

the rest of the group. It didn't help her. He handed the first man a

crowbar. The man accepted it gratefully and began to pry at the

door handle. Taryn scanned the grounds of the mall, her entire

body stiffening when she saw the man. Dressed in a jogging suit

he was walking normally until he saw her.

**_ Living for today_**

Taryn screamed when The Jogging Man began running. The

Russian woman screamed.

"Andre!"

The black man turned. "Oh shit, hurry up man." Finally the first

man began pounding at the door handle. Then a huge black man in

a police uniform stepped up.

"Out of the way." He held up his gun and fired two shots at the

door, blowing it open. He ushered them all inside quickly,

slamming the door behind them. A young woman came up next to

Taryn putting her arm on her shoulder.

"Are you ok?" Taryn gave a half-hearted smile.

"Yeah. I think so."

"What's your name, honey?" Taryn racked her brain. She

couldn't have forgotten it, could she?"

"Taryn Anderson." The blonde woman nodded her blue eyes

somehow vacant. She motioned first to the Russian woman.

"This is Luda and her boyfriend.."

"Husband." The tall black man interrupted.

"Sorry," The blonde woman smiled. "Husband, Andre." Then

she pointed to the big man in the police uniform. "This is

Kenneth." Then she motioned towards the man who'd grabbed

Taryn, still holding the crowbar. His brown hair was disheveled

and his white shirt, now red, was untucked over his equally

bloodstained khaki's.

"You got red on you." Taryn whispered to herself.

"That's Michael, and I'm Ana." Taryn nodded slowly, letting it

all sink it.

"We have to get out of here." Kenneth muttered, leading the

way out of the storage room they'd found themselves in. They

ended up in a furniture store. Ana wandered somewhat

absentmindedly to the doors, trying to open them. When she found

they were locked she looked to Kenneth. He picked up a chair and,

stepping back, threw it as hard as he could at the picture window.

As Taryn stepped into the mall she could hear the cheerful tones

of "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Playing. The music calmed her only

slightly. The mall was just as empty as the rest of the town was.

Taryn walked to the fountain. Looking down into the water she

could see the blood on her face and clothes. No wonder they'd

thought she was one of the creatures. She could feel tears spring

to her eyes, and just when she thought they were going to fall she

felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Michael smiling

down at her warmly.

"It'll be ok, honey." And for the first time since dropping Libby

off at her grandmother's, Taryn thought that maybe it would be.


End file.
